The Elven Cultivator

Anton hadn’t proposed trying to create an Alchemy Puppet on a whim.

In fact, the thought had crossed his mind long ago. He had even borrowed many books on Alchemy concerning puppet creation from Darian, hoping to find inspiration and recreate the Daoist Soldiers—a type of puppet from the cultivation system’s artifact refining schools—in this world.

’The Daoist Soldiers of the Dao and the Alchemy Puppets of the Dawn Continent are, in essence, both created as combat units that can act autonomously and obey commands.’

’It’s just that the refining philosophy behind Daoist Soldiers is far more profound, involving a fusion of multiple fields like Talismans, Arrays, and Artifact Refining, whereas Alchemy Puppets lean more toward mechanical construction and Magic Power conduction.’

’Although their paths are different, they both lead to the same destination.’

’If I could combine the refining philosophy of Daoist Soldiers with the construction techniques of Alchemy Puppets... ’

The more Anton thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

He had been concerned about materials before, but now that he had a procurement channel through Gray Rock Castle, he could go all out and give it a try.

It would also be an opportunity to integrate his knowledge across the various fields of Talismans, Arrays, and Artifact Refining.

However, the others present didn’t know the basis for Anton’s confidence and secretly felt he was just acting on a sudden impulse.

”Anton, are you sure?” the Third Elder asked hesitantly. ”Alchemy Puppets aren’t so easy to refine.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in Anton’s talent; it was just that the art of creating Alchemy Puppets was too complex. Even someone as gifted as Anton couldn’t hope to successfully create a Golem without several years of dedicated study.

And with war imminent, there simply wasn’t enough time for him to study at a leisurely pace.

The Second Elder said nothing, merely looking to the Great Elder and awaiting his decision.

The Great Elder was silent for a moment. His gaze rested on Anton’s calm and composed face for a few breaths before he finally nodded. ”Then give it a try. Tell Casian whatever materials you need.”

”Yes,” Anton answered with a slight nod.

The others in the hall had varied expressions, but no one raised any objections.

Although most were skeptical of Anton’s so-called attempt, his past glorious ’track record’ was plain for all to see, and no one dared to openly question him.

Even if Anton failed in the end, it would only mean a waste of some materials.

No one would berate a genius who had made such great contributions to the Clan over something so minor.

After the meeting, everyone gradually dispersed.

The Third Elder stopped Anton and said amiably, ”I have quite a few notes on my experiences creating puppets. If you need them, you can come and get them from me.”

Although he wasn’t optimistic about Anton’s endeavor, since Anton had already made his decision and the Great Elder had approved, he would offer as much support as he could.

”Thank you, Elder,” Anton said, thanking him sincerely.

The Third Elder beamed, patted him on the shoulder, and turned to leave.

Eleanor looked at Anton, wanting to say something but holding back. She clearly shared the same thoughts as the others.

Romance, on the other hand, didn’t doubt Anton’s ability in the slightest. Instead, she looked at him with anticipation. ”Anton, if you manage to create a Golem, can you give one to me?”

Anton gave her a surprised look. ”What would you do with a Golem?”

”Practice my combat techniques, of course,” Romance said, patting the half-man-tall Frost Pattern War Axe on her back. ”With a thick-skinned Golem to practice on, my combat training will go much faster.”

”...Alright.”

After leaving the hall, Anton first went to the Third Elder’s place to get the notes. Only then did he return to his treehouse, open the Taoist Jade Scroll, and begin researching literature related to Daoist Soldiers.

There were many types of Daoist Soldiers, from the Yellow Turban Warriors and the Six Ding Six Jia, to the Five Camp Divine Soldiers and the Celestial Soldiers and Generals. Each had its own specific refining method.

Among them, the most suitable for him to attempt at his current stage was undoubtedly the Yellow Turban Warriors.

The Yellow Turban Warriors belonged to a class of Talisman Soldiers, humanoid combat units refined with a Talisman at their core, supplemented by various materials.

Its core was a ”Military Token,” which was equivalent to an Alchemy Puppet’s Magic Core, but its functions were far more complex.

The Military Token not only provided energy but also carried a series of functions such as combat commands, friend-or-foe identification, and autonomous action.

A proper Military Token required the refining of over a hundred Runes, and one had to ensure that energy flowed unimpeded between all of them, allowing them to operate in harmony. This placed extremely high demands on the Artifact Refiner’s mastery of Runes.

Fortunately, after so many years of accumulation, Anton’s attainments in the Dao of Runes were far beyond what they once were.

Moreover, after successfully reaching Foundation Establishment and awakening his Divine Sense, drawing Runes had become even more effortless. He no longer needed to borrow a spiritual guide; he could form a Talisman with a single, casual stroke.

With these two factors combined, it shouldn’t be difficult to refine a Military Token after a few practice runs.

It was worth mentioning that Daoist Soldiers had another advantage over Golems: they were easy to store and transport.

Due to their immense size, Golems were difficult to carry around unless stored in a spatial-type magic item.

But Daoist Soldiers were different.

The Taoist Jade Scroll contained thousands of methods for carrying Daoist Soldiers on one’s person.

The most widespread of these was the Daoist art of ”Sowing Beans to Create Soldiers.”

This method was, in essence, a combination of miniaturizing Daoist Soldiers and spatial sealing techniques.

The principle was to seal a refined Yellow Turban Warrior inside a single golden bean using a special technique. The golden bean served as both the sealing container and the summoning medium.

During battle, one only had to release the seal, and the Daoist Soldier would instantly materialize and join the fight.

After the battle, it could be resealed, recovered, and used repeatedly.

This way, Anton could carry dozens or even hundreds of golden beans on him. In a fight, he could directly use human-wave tactics against his enemies. The thought was simply exhilarating.

The key was that the golden beans could also be stored in spatial artifacts.

As long as he had a spatial artifact with enough capacity, he could even carry an entire Daoist Soldier Corps with him.

’Now this is the proper way to use Daoist Soldiers.’

Anton mused.

With a plan in mind, he got busy.

Because refining Daoist Soldiers also involved knowledge of Arrays, he had to set aside some time and energy to study the Spirit Gathering Array and accumulate experience.

And regardless of whether he was refining Daoist Soldiers or setting up a Spirit Gathering Array, the problem of an energy supply was unavoidable.

Thus, he had already started working on developing Demon Crystals early on.

Thanks to the agreement with Gray Rock Castle, Anton saved himself the trouble of going to Bishui Port and directly purchased a batch of low-grade Gemstones from them at a low price.

Creating Demon Crystals was neither difficult nor easy.

Any Caster who had been dabbling in Alchemy for two or three years could produce a Demon Crystal, but the quality was largely a matter of luck.

To consistently produce high-quality Demon Crystals, the requirements for one’s Alchemy attainments were quite high.

Anton himself couldn’t be called a master Alchemist yet, but he had the unique advantage of his Divine Sense, which allowed him to perform many minute operations, giving him far more potential than other Alchemists.

In just two days, he successfully created a proper Demon Crystal.

The Demon Crystal, infused with True Essence, had a gentle, milky-white color and a fine, slightly smooth texture. It was only the size of an egg and looked like a piece of high-quality mutton-fat jade.

Anton tested it and found that its energy density, purity, and stability all met the standard of a high-grade Magic Stone, making it even better than he had anticipated.

After all, he had only just started, and there was still room for improvement in many aspects. The materials he used were also low-grade Gemstones like agate, Lapis Lazuli, and tiger’s eye.

Once his skills improved and he switched to better quality Gemstones, the quality of the Demon Crystals he produced would definitely far surpass that of high-grade Magic Stones.

’True Essence really is overpowered.’

Anton marveled.

In any case, a Demon Crystal of this quality was sufficient for now.

’Since this is a new type, it’s not quite right to keep calling it a Demon Crystal. I’ll just call it a Spirit Stone instead.’

A flicker of a smile crossed Anton’s eyes as he looked at the milky-white stone in his hand.

For now, this could be considered a Low Grade Spirit Stone at best. When his skills improved in the future, he would refine mid and high-grade Spirit Stones.

Having solved the biggest problem—the power source—he could finally begin setting up the Spirit Gathering Array.

Anton spent some time using Frost Pattern Silver combined with various supplementary materials to refine a Spirit Gathering Array Disc. Afterward, he immediately tried to set up the Array in the quiet room of his treehouse.

And just like that, time slipped away as he kept himself busy.